URGENT NEED FOR CHANGES IN AMERICA'S MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS
WHEREAS, in urban school districts, one-third to one-half of all teachers do not have an
undergraduate major or minor degree in their primary instructional field; and
WHEREAS, 20 percent of all new teachers leave the field within three years and approximately 50
percent leave urban districts within five years; and
WHEREAS, over six million public school children are in danger of being left behind as we begin
to implement the No Child Left Behind Act; and
WHEREAS, already 5 percent of the nation's high schools have been designated as "in need of
improvement" prior to the implementation of No Child Left Behind and the first year's reporting
of annual yearly progress (AYP); and
WHEREAS, approximately one million of the nation's high school students fail to graduate high
school; and
WHEREAS, 3,000 students drop out of middle or high school each day; and
WHEREAS, in 2003, nearly 540,000 students will leave, not graduate, America's school systems;
and
WHEREAS, based on 2001 data, on average the ten metro school districts with the lowest
graduation rates are able to graduate only 44 percent of their students on time; and
WHEREAS, the nation's high school graduation rate is only 69 percent; and
WHEREAS, less than 75 percent of the nation's eighth graders get a high school diploma in five
years and the rates dip below 50 percent in urban schools; and
WHEREAS, 23 percent(over 700,000)of high school seniors have difficulty reading on the eve of
their high school graduation and are therefore not prepared to go to college; and
WHEREAS, approximately six million or 25 percent of the nation's 24 million public school
students, grades 6 through 12, read below the basic level that affects their achievement and ability
to learn in all classes; and
WHEREAS, many middle and high schools are already employing a variety of strategies to
successfully educate low-performing students to high standards and but no one strategy is being
used to increase student achievement; and
WHEREAS, changes and improvements need to be made in training and hiring high quality
teachers, focusing learning time, effective instructional methods and rigorous curriculum,
counseling that encourages parental involvement, and creating smaller learning environments so
that middle and high schools and the students can be successful,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors believes the
time has come for the federal, state and local governments to form a national partnership that
transform middle schools and high schools into centers of learning and engagement that prepare
students for rewarding and meaningful lives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on Congress of the
United States to pass and fund legislation that establishes an adolescent reading program similar to
Reading First, but focused on middle and high school students to ensure that they have the skills to
complete high school, attend college, and be a part of America's 21st century workforce; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors encourages
federal, state and local governments address the academic and social needs of the six million
children at risk of dropping out of high school in order to ensure that they have an opportunity to
graduate high school and be prepared for college.
©2003 U.S. Conference of Mayors 
